Leading Off (5/11/17)

Kenneth Amyx Sentenced to Life for Killing Girlfriend. Amyx had alleged that it was a failed murder-suicide pact with his girlfriend Jennifer Streit-Spears, but state district judge Scott Becker sentenced him to life in prison yesterday. During the sentencing phase, Amyx claimed that he was God and that Jennifer visited him in his jail cell each night.

Dallas City Council Removes DART Board Member. The council voted 10-5 yesterday to remove DART board vice chair Richard Carrizales in the middle of his two-year term. The decision was supposedly about creating stronger representation on the board, not due to the fact that Carrizales voted back in October to fund the Cotton Belt rail line.

Frisco Robbers Used Grindr to Target Hate-Crime Victims. Four Frisco men were indicted yesterday on the charges of federal hate crime and conspiracy. They used the dating app Grindr to pass themselves off as gay men and would arrange to meet at the victims’ homes. The men would then assault and restrain the victims and make derogatory comments regarding their sexual orientation. They then stole items from the victims. Absolutely awful.

DISD Will Offer Retention Bonuses for Teachers. At a board briefing today, officials will present proposed changes to Teacher Excellence Initiative, DISD’s teacher evaluation and merit pay system. One of those changes is a retention raise for its best teachers.